Photos for an online clothing shop: which types you need, how they are made and how to organise the shoot

Why photos decide whether a garment sells online

In a physical shop, customers touch the fabric, try the garment on and look in the mirror. In an online shop, the photos have to do all of that. They are all customers have to decide whether they like the garment, whether it will fit and whether the colour is what they expect.

That is why product photos are probably the investment that pays back most for a clothing brand selling online. A product page with good photos sells more, generates fewer customer service questions and, above all, reduces returns. When a garment arrives and does not look like what was on screen, because the colour is different, the fabric looked different or the length was not clear, the customer sends it back and often does not buy again.

Photos also work beyond the shop: on Instagram, in ads, in emails, in catalogues for multi-brand stores. A good product shoot feeds the whole season's communication.

At Bostak Films we have done product and lookbook photography for Barcelona fashion brands, such as NouVelleMaison's Jaray or Ainhoa Uruñuela's capsule collection for Stradivarius, as well as product photos for accessories brands such as Bunker. What follows is what we have learned on those shoots, organised so you can plan yours.

The types of photo each garment needs

A complete product page combines several types of image. These are the main ones.

Product shot on a neutral background. The garment alone, front and back, on a white, grey or soft brand-coloured background. It is the catalogue photo, the one shown in the shop's product lists. It can be hung, on a mannequin or shot with the invisible mannequin technique, which removes the mannequin in post-production and leaves the garment with volume.

Flat lay. The garment laid out on a surface and photographed from above. It works very well for T-shirts, knitwear, childrenswear and accessories, and for putting outfits together. For NouVelleMaison's Jaray collection we made more than forty product photographs across flat lays and lookbook.

On-model shot. The garment worn, full length and mid shot, with simple poses that show how it falls and fits. It is what helps most in choosing a size and what sells most.

Detail. Fabric, seams, buttons, print, label. It answers the quality question customers cannot check by touch.

Editorial or lifestyle shot. The garment in a stylish setting, such as a location, special light or an attitude. It does not explain the product as much, but it sells the brand's style. It is what goes on the website homepage, on social media and in campaigns.

Short video. A few seconds of the model walking or turning, to see how the garment moves. More and more shops include it on the product page, and it is the same footage that works for reels.

How many photos per garment and how to keep it consistent

For most garments, five to eight images per product is a good number: two or three product shots, two or three on model, one or two details and, if possible, a short video. For basics that only change colour, you can do the full series in one colour and only product shots in the rest.

More important than the number is consistency. An online shop is seen as a grid of products, and if each photo has a different background, different light or different framing, the shop looks messy and unreliable. These are the rules we set for every shoot.

The same background for the whole catalogue. Same colour, same texture.

The same light. Set up once and left untouched during the shoot, so every garment looks the same.

The same framing and camera height. If one photo shows the shoes and another cuts at the knees, the grid jumps.

The same aspect ratio. Usually vertical, which makes better use of a phone screen, and the same for the whole catalogue. Before the shoot, check which ratio your shop template uses.

The same base poses. A front pose, a profile or three-quarter pose and a back pose, the same for every garment. After that there can be a few freer poses.

All of this is written down in a style sheet before the shoot, so that six months later the new collection is shot the same way.

Light and colour: what prevents most returns

If one technical aspect matters above all others in clothing photography, it is colour. Customers buy a particular green, and if a different green arrives, they send it back.

To get true colour you need to control the light. The safest approach is to shoot in a studio, with quality flash or continuous light, always the same, rather than natural light that changes through the day. A colour chart is photographed at the start and whenever anything changes, and everything is adjusted against that reference in post-production.

The screen on which the photos are reviewed matters too: if it is not calibrated, you can "correct" a colour that was fine and ruin it.

Some garments are tricky and worth planning for. Deep blacks lose detail if the light is badly placed, and the texture needs to show. Whites blow out easily. Shiny fabrics, such as satin, leather or sequins, reflect light and need their own set-up. And very saturated colours, such as some reds, fuchsias or electric greens, sometimes go beyond what a screen can show and must be adjusted carefully.

Post-production should improve the photo without lying. It crops, cleans the background, removes creases and lint and matches the colour to reality. What it does not do is change the colour, slim the garment or alter how it falls. An over-retouched photo sells once and generates a return.

How a clothing photo shoot is organised

A well-organised product shoot delivers twice as much as an improvised one. This is the order we follow.

Before the shoot. A complete list of garments with reference, sample size and colours. Garments ironed or steamed and set out on rails in shooting order. A style sheet with background, light, framing and poses. Models chosen to fit the sample sizes. And a look plan: which combinations are shot and in what order.

During the shoot. Everything on a neutral background is shot first, in blocks: one set for product, another for model. One person handles styling only, placing each garment, removing creases and checking for peeking labels. And the photos are reviewed on a large screen as they are taken, with someone from the brand present to approve them.

Video. If motion clips are planned, they are filmed on the same set with the same light, right after each look's photos. It saves setting everything up twice.

Afterwards. Selection, post-production, file names with each product's reference and export in the sizes needed for the shop and social media.

The editorial part, if there is one, is usually done on another day and on location, at a different pace. For the Jaray collection, for example, we combined studio work for the product with a shoot in Granada for the fashion film and campaign portraits. We cover it in what a fashion film is.

Real examples and how we help

Some of our work showing the different types of photo.

For Ainhoa Uruñuela's capsule collection for Stradivarius we made more than forty lookbook photographs, with art direction and a youthful visual language, prepared for digital platforms. You can see it in the Stradivarius × Ainhoa Uruñuela case.

For Jaray, NouVelleMaison's flagship collection, more than forty product photos, across flat lays and lookbook, eight campaign portraits and a fashion film. You can see it in the Jaray case.

For LARHHA, at 080 Barcelona Fashion, editorial photography on neutral backgrounds, with controlled light and compositions highlighting cut and fabric, together with product photography.

At Bostak Films we do product, on-model and editorial shoots for fashion and accessories brands, and we film the motion clips for the shop and social media at the same time. If you also need ongoing content for Instagram and TikTok from that same material, that is what we do in social media content. For product video, you will find more ideas in how to make a product video that sells.

We work from our studio in Viladecans, next to Barcelona. If you are launching your online shop or a new collection, book a free diagnosis and we will tell you how we would organise the shoot.

FAQ

Got a project in mind?

We tell stories in video end to end — production, filming and post-production.

Keep reading